Hertford Community

The town retains very much a country-town feel,[citation needed] despite lying only 19.2 miles (30.9 km) north of Central London. This is aided by a lack of large chain stores in the town, which is too small to support them, and by its proximity to larger towns such as Harlow, Bishop\'s Stortford and Stevenage where modern development has been focused.

The town is beset by traffic despite the existence of the 1960s bypass called Gascoyne Way. The town centre is still a labyrinth of medieval streets with many timber-framed buildings hidden under later frontages, particularly in St Andrew Street.